1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and, in particular, to an improved method, apparatus, and computer program product for capturing user input. In particular, the present invention is directed to a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for recognizing and capturing whiteboard markup layers in relation to a projected image.
2. Description of the Related Art
During conferences and meetings in which a presentation display is projected onto a whiteboard, a presenter will frequently make annotations or markups of the presentation by drawing on the whiteboard with a marker directly over the projected presentation. Mark-ups and annotations made onto the whiteboard by the presenter are visible to meeting attendees physically present in the conference room. However, if the meeting is also a teleconference, meeting attendees that are not physically present in the conference room are at a significant disadvantage because they may not be able to see the mark-ups being made by the presenter.
Attempts to solve this problem have included using a stand-alone camera to capture the presentation on video. However, the presentation can loose resolution and image quality due to camera limitations and environmental factors, such as room lighting conditions and objects and/or people obstructing the camera's view.
A projector can be used to display a presentation image from a computer that permits the image to be modified using traditional computer input devices, such as a mouse or keyboard. However, traditional input devices are not as natural or convenient for humans to use as a pen on a whiteboard.
Rather than using a mouse or keyboard, a digitizing tablet input device may be utilized. In a projected environment, however, digitizing tablets require a user to monitor the projected display while writing on the tablet. Moreover, tablet devices provide only a small input space. In addition, a digitizing tablet, keyboard or mouse must be shared by all users.
Electronic whiteboards permit more natural input from users. However, electronic whiteboards are also more costly, which limits widespread installation of these devices. Moreover, because electronic whiteboards are large, they are not easily moved or shared between users. In addition, the size of a projected image is limited to the size of the whiteboard itself.